


There was a Garden (Growing From a Black Hole in My Mind)

by redFreckles



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Andrew kidnaps children from their abusive parents, Fae & Fairies, Fae!Andrew, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Neil just wants the townspeople to stop bothering him about the missing kids, Urban Legends, Witch!Neil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-21
Updated: 2017-03-21
Packaged: 2018-10-08 16:43:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10391259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redFreckles/pseuds/redFreckles
Summary: A dark aura enunciates itself, pressing dark magick into Neil's bones and making him grit his teeth as he pushes back the instinctive fear."Would you stop that?" Neil snaps as shadows twist at his ankles, "I’m not a lost college student, you don’t have to ward me off asshole."Silence that presses danger into the corners of Neil's mind follows and Neil feels his irritation grow. "I know you're here Andrew, you're not fooling me."The shadows tighten their grip and Neil sighs exasperatingly. "Really? Now you're just being petty."Or in which Andrew is a fairy with overprotective instincts and Neil really wants the mayor to stop asking him to retrieve the stolen children of the town.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I read a book about fae and got inspired and this happened. this was really fun to write i might expand on this  
> (Title from Halseys Garden) 
> 
> Warnings: Allusions to child abuse and sexual assault but it's vague and fleeting, also blink and you miss it body horror in a flashback

The forest on the outskirts of the town is vast and wild with winding roads and lost trails. Most of the townsfolk wouldn’t dare stepping into it, hell, most wouldn’t even consider stepping _near_ it, not without a chest of iron and fifty different charms around their necks and a damn good reason. But Neil is allowed this or, more so, Neil is confident enough in his abilities to bypass the unspoken rules of the enchanted land.

The magick of the earth presses into him as he walks deeper into the trees entrances, and Neil breathes through it like anyone else would breathe through a strong fresh breeze. Most people wouldn’t be able to move through the thickness of the spells, too mundane to break through it without serious injury or ripping a hole in their own time frame. (The forest people did love their time games as it was.) But magick is Neil's native tongue, a second skin that feels like relief as it passes through him and he sighs happily as it twists around his pendants.

A trees root moves away from his feet and he makes sure not to step on the vivid purple flowers at the base of its trunk. A branch swings out of his way in thanks and he smiles at it as he moves along.

A clearing comes into view, one circled with pink blossoming trees and blue, black, and neon green flowers. A rock circle covered in orange moss and yellow vines sits inside the tree ring, and Neil is careful not to step inside the flowers.

A dark aura enunciates itself, pressing dark magick into Neil's bones and making him grit his teeth as he pushes back the instinctive fear.

"Would you stop that?" Neil snaps as shadows twist at his ankles, "I’m not a lost college student, you don’t have to ward me off asshole."

Silence that presses danger into the corners of Neil's mind follows and Neil feels his irritation grow. "I know you're here Andrew, you're not fooling me."

The shadows tighten their grip and Neil sighs exasperatingly. "Really? Now you're just being petty."

A sharp wind sweeps Neil's red curls into his eyes and Neil irritably shoves them back. "Stop being a child Andrew! This is getting ridiculous!"

The shadows start to tug him, trying to get him to move past the flowers while a female voice whispers about the treasures that lay in the center on the rocks.

Neil rolls his eyes. "Do you really think I'm so stupid that I'd walk straight into a fairy ring?"

"I wouldn't be surprised; you’ve done plenty of stupid shit in the past."

The shadows disappear from Neil's feet and he turns around with his arms crossed, staring down the small blond haired creature in front of him. "Was that really necessary?"

Andrew stares at him with his usual sense of apathy. "It amused me greatly."

"Gods, you're such a-" Neil rubs his temples in hopes of calming down his anger.

Andrew watches him silently with an air that suggests hes enjoying this before his boredom inevitably wins out. "Well?"

Neil’s eyes snap to him and he glares. "You know why I'm here, I thought we had an agreement."

Andrew shifts ever so slightly but Neil would have to be an ordinary to not feel that wave of energy he just let off.

"I didn’t break our deal if that’s what you're implying."

Neil throws his hands up. "You stole a child!"

Andrew shrugs. " I _borrowed_ a child, big difference."

Neil rubs his temples again."No, Andrew, it's really not, we talked about this."

"No, _'Neil'_ ," Andrew says with the same loathing he always has when he speaks Neil's name, "You talked and assumed I listened."

"Dammit, Andrew, I'm not arguing about this again! Can you just give back the child to her parents so I can be done with this?"

Andrews eyes darkened, along with the trees and the air. "No."

Neil looks at him for a moment, his golden hair shining through the surrounding darkness, his pale skin transparent in his magick, his eyes fire with determination.

Neil feels his anger fade into the depths of his soul and takes a breath to cleanse himself.

"Okay," He says softly, "Then will you give her to me?"

The darkness shrinks down, back into Andrew's being, and the anger on his face is replaced with pain.

They stay like that, staring at one another as they have many times before, bitter unspoken truths and hidden darkness between them.

Finally Andrew speaks, "Her father hurts her." His eyes are once again black with his hatred of humanities cruelties. "He waits until her mother is too drunk to notice when he slips into her room."

Neil's eyes soon reflect Andrew's own, a painfully understanding inside them. "I see."

"You will not give her back to them."

"Andrew you know I wouldn't." Neil sighs, running a hand through his hair. "But she can't stay in the fae world, 'Drew, you know how it effects mortals."

Andrew looks away from him, his jaw set and stance defensive. Neil waits patiently for his shoulders to drop and for the strain to leave his brow.

"I promise I won't let her parents get anywhere close to her, she's under my protection now, you have my word."

Andrew stares at him in surprise, as if it still caught him off guard every time Neil put his life on the line for anothers'. He quickly dispels the emotion, looking again as apathetic as he always does.

"I have your word, but do I have your name?"

Neil can't fight down the smile that those words summons. It's nearly tradition for their deals to end with Andrew saying that, always followed by Neil's response of,

"Never." He grins with all of his teeth, and laughs as Andrew glowers at him.

"I'll get it from you one day." He says without doubt.

Neil's smile strains a little, "I'll be dead before you figure it out."

Andrew stares at him like he can see right through him and Neil forces himself not to shiver.

"We have a deal," He says firmly, "I won't let that happen."

Neil thinks of red rubies soaked in blood, his mother's hair as it fell out of her skull and her eyes turned to ash, his father's eyes reflected in a boiling cauldron of black liquid that twisted itself into an arm. _Sorry Andrew_ , Neil thinks. _There are more powerful things than fae_.

Neil shoves the memories aside. "So, the girl?"

Silence falls again and Neil tries not to roll his eyes at how dramatic Andrew is. Andrew finally shrugs and waves a hand, summoning a portal with it. It hovers over the rocks and a girl with frizzy brown hair falls softly onto the bed of flowers in the center of them.

"Would you like to get her?" Andrew says lazily.

Neil cant resist rolling his eyes this time. "Hilarious aren't you."

Andrew snorts and side steps around Neil, going into his circle to grab the girl and bring her to the outer rim.

He sets her down and then kneels in front of her. "Okay Beth, it's time for us to part ways."

Beth shakes her head frantically. "N-No! I can't go back! You promised!" She clings desperately to Andrew and Neil feels his heart swell.

Andrew clenches her tightly to his chest. "And I meant it. I'll never let him touch you again." With obviously reluctance he gently pushes her away from him. "But you can't stay with me, it's not safe for you." He looks up at Neil. "This is Neil. He promised me he would keep you safe and away from your parents." He looks down at Beth again, at her big brown eyes swelled with unshed tears, "You can trust him. He won't harm you."

Beth looks between Andrew and Neil for a few moments before whispering. "Are you sure?"

Neil sits down next to her, careful not to get too close, "Hey Beth? I swear to you on my life that I won't let anybody hurt you okay? A witches' word is sound, I can't break it, even if I wanted to."

Beth looks at him with wide eyes, "You're a witch?"

Neil smiles at her obvious awe and nods.

Beth turns back to Andrew. "Will I see you again?"

Andrew looks to Neil, a question in his eyes, and Neil nods. Andrew looks to Beth, "Whenever you want to. Neil knows how to find me, so if you ever do, ask him and he'll show you the way."Andrew pats her head twice before standing.

Beth bites her lip hard before shaking her head once and standing up with only a small tremor. She looks up at Neil with fire blazing in her eyes and clenched fists. "Okay," She says,"I'm ready to go now."

Neil smiles and holds out his hand. As she takes his he notices a few bracelets of finely carved charms that could only be made by a fae. Neil decides to keep the soft small smile that spread across his face to himself. "Then we're off."

Beth turns around and waves. "Bye 'Drew! I'll be back!"

The fae waves back, watching as the two disappear between the trees and the magick, waiting until all he feels is the remnants of Neil's intoxicating aura and Beth's mortal foot prints, before turning around and walking in another world, one without the complications of strange witches and hurt children.


End file.
